Pages

Sunday, March 27, 2011

I'm starting to get adventurous with yeast now. Yes-- this is pretty wild for me. Crispy wheat breadsticks with a kick. Easy! If I can do it, you can do it. I have everything against me. High altitude, lack of patience, lack of time, one oven........ I could go on.

I really do not think that you can mess these up!! But then you will be snacking on them all day. They are a health-ified breadstick, but they add up. So make them, eat some, then give the rest away as a gift. Unless you have willpower, which I do not. Put that on my list of things against me.

Rustic Rosemary Breadsticks

Makes 32

1 package dry active yeast

1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)

1/2 tsp table salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

~1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg, beaten

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Add table salt, olive oil, and wheat flour. Stir with a large spatula until well-mixed and dough is stretchy (dough will still be very moist). Add all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed (I used 1 cup total). Place dough on lightly floured work surface and knead for 7-8 minutes, adding flour to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth and springy.

Lightly flour a large cutting board. Place dough on board and pat and stretch dough into 8x10" square. Sprinkle rosemary leaves onto dough and press into dough with damp fingertips. Cover loosely with a towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp flour-dusted knife, divide dough in half length-wise. Continue to divide sections in half, until 32 sticks are formed. Place each stick onto baking sheets, close together, pulling each lightly to lengthen. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush each breadstick with beaten egg (you will only use ~1 Tbsp of egg). Combine sea salt and ground pepper in a bowl, then sprinkle each breadstick lightly with mixture.

Bake for ~25-30 minutes. At 10 minutes into cooking, remove each sheet from the oven and use sharp knife to separate any breadsticks that have "grown together". Return to oven and bake until crisp and lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool before storing in airtight container.